THE DESTROYER

The A9X Torana was the most successful touring race car ever produced by Holden. Designed to win races from the outset, at the end of its reign, in 1979, it was unbeatable. In total, 405 examples of the race-focused A9X were manufactured by Holden, and, of these, 100 were hatchbacks. A further Holden parts run of 52 bodies — made up of 41 hatches and 11 sedans — was produced, mainly for race teams. These bare shells came minus engine, gearbox, trim, and underseal, with a special floorpan blister to suit the T10 gearbox. The most noticeable exterior modification was the rear-facing bonnet air scoop, which took advantage of the low pressure area near the windscreen to help reduce intake air temperatures. Exhaust-emission regulations meant that the A9X was not offered to the public with the L34 engine, and all examples left the factory with stock L31 5.0-litre V8s. As the L34 engine was homologated for the previous model, race teams could still use this engine in the LX. The L34 block was a Repco product with items such as special pistons, roller rockers, a larger exhaust and inlet valves, exhaust headers, a baffled sump, a twin-point distributor, and oil cooler kits for more reliability. The A9X Torana won the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) in 1978 and 1979. It was the Sandown 500 winner in 1977, 1978, and 1979, and its greatest moment was at Bathurst in 1979. Toranas also claimed the first eight positions at Bathurst in 1979. The A9X Torana debuted at the 1977 Sandown 400 race with Allan Grice on pole. Racing under his own banner, Brock won by more than a lap from Grice, but it was a memorable one-two for the car’s first time out. Bathurst in 1977 was a complete humiliation for Holden and its Holden Dealer Team (HDT) organization, as Allan Moffat set up a one-two finish with Colin Bond in the Ford Falcon hardtops. Brock had put his Torana on pole. Stung by the Mount Panorama defeat, Holden competition chief Joe Felice made two defining moves, signing up Brock to rejoin HDT (Brock had left in 1974), and appointing John Sheppard as the new team manager. It was a move that would signal success for the organization right through until 1985. The 1978 ATCC — and, in particular, Bathurst — was HDT’S and Brock’s. Brock partnered with Jim Richards in 1979, and they put their Torana on pole more than two seconds ahead of eventual 1979 ATCC champion Bob Morris, in his A9X. Brock showed how tough the Torana was when he set a new lap record on the final lap, and blitzed the race in record time by five minutes. Holden supporters went nuts, and videos of the event are still a great watch, with Brock coolly reeling off the last record lap to justify his title of King of the Mountain. It was probably Brock’s greatest moment at Mount Panorama. The Torana (an Aboriginal word meaning ‘to fly’) LX A9X was the first fully homologated design by Holden to be built purposely to win races.